Acura developed a new luxury hybrid which consists of its new three-motor propulsion system assisted by a V6 engine. It is the RLX Sport Hybrid SH-AWD. 119 HP of the power is provided by the electric motors, which utilize a 260-volt battery pack. The remaining 258 HP is provided by the gasoline engine. It has a combined 377 HP. This is the first vehicle to utilize Acura’s new three-motor hybrid propulsion system.
Acura says that the RLX Sport Hybrid, can accelerate comparably to that of its V8 engine-powered competitors. It is already unusual for V6 engines to perform as well as V8 ones, but a V6 hybrid? Both hybrids and V6 engines have long been snubbed at by some performance enthusiasts.
While this sounds like a technological feat: The performance of hybrids no longer lags behind that of traditional automobiles (at least not much). The power of this vehicle doesn’t make it a gas guzzler: It achieves 28 MPG city, 32 MPG highway, and 30 MPG combined, which is comparable to the the fuel economy of a sedan with a four-cylinder engine.
“The Sport Hybrid RLX sets a new bar in luxury performance sedans, but it does it the Acura way,” said Jerry Chenkin, president and CEO, Honda Canada Inc. “The Sport Hybrid RLX has some of the most advanced technology on the planet, but this sedan is more than the sum of its parts. With the Sport Hybrid RLX everything comes together to create true synergy between man and machine.”
According to HybridCars.com, the RLX Sport Hybrid SH-AWD does not have a conventional driveshaft or rear differential, in place of those are two 36 HP motors, and a third 46 HP one at the front which performs regenerative braking and provides the front wheels with torque.
It made its debut in Canada at the Montreal Auto Show on the 16th of this month.
